Some time ago I wrote a blog on Resizing your doll clothes patterns using a photo copier. Since then, I have had a number of people concerned that they don’t have access to a photo copier so I thought I should do an update on that blog.

You don’t need a photo copier anymore, you can use your printer and adjust your printer properties i.e. enlarge or shrink your pattern by a specified percentage. This works fantastically with a PDF pattern saved to your computer.

You will need a version of Adobe Reader 10 or later. If you have Adobe 9 or earlier, you can only adjust the pattern by a preset scale of options so I suggest you download the latest version (it’s free) from the Adobe.com website.

As my husband has been home on holidays, I thought I would take advantage of his computer skills and convinced him that a video showing how to use this resizing function would be much better and easier for people to understand than me typing out a long list of complicated instructions. After all, we all know that it’s much easier to understand something when we are shown. So Brad has put together the following video which shows how to use Adobe Reader version 10 and Version 11. Obviously there are updates all the time so if your version of Adobe is different to what we show in the video and you are unable to work out how to use it, please check the Adobe website for instructions.

Don’t forget to scroll down after the video has finished as I show you the results of printing at 50% original size and also 150%. Take it away Brad…….

In the picture below you can see the 18 inch and American Girl Crop Top Front pattern piece on the left is the pattern printed to the original size and on the right is the pattern piece printed at 50%. You can check this has worked correctly by measuring along the bottom edge of the pattern – the smaller pattern should measure 8.5cm which is half the original 17cm.

The following photos show the same crop top pattern printed at 150%. You can see that it has printed on 4 sheets of paper and I specified ½” (12mm) overlap. On the left are the 4 separate sheets and on the right is the pattern when all the sheets have been glued together. Again, you can check the measurement along the bottom and it should now be 25.5cm.

You’ve got to love technology as resizing your doll clothes pdf patterns has just gotten easier. Any of my 18 Inch American Girl and Cabbage Patch Doll Clothes patterns can be resized.

Because there are so many different size dolls out there, I’m sure you will have to resize one of your doll clothes patterns at some stage and I hope this technique helps to make the resizing of your pattern a much easier and less frustrating thing to do.

Thank you so much Rosie, and Brad! What a wonderful husband Brad is and a great teacher. I have nearly worn our printer in the home office out, and let’s not talk about ink and paper. You have done what we all needed, given us so many more options to make it Happy Sewing.

Hi Marily, thanks for your enquiry. You may find my blog, ‘A Great Tip for Resizing Doll Clothes Sewing Patterns’ helpful. You may need to use the tile feature on your printer if the pattern pieces become too big to print on one piece of paper. I’d love to hear how you go. Happy sewing Rosie 🙂

Hi Bev, I think you will find that you don’t need to resize my patterns to fit your bitty baby dolls. I know a lady who just shortened the length of the pants on the winter pyjamas by about 1 1/2″ and they fit perfectly. So you may find that you just simply have to adjust the length of skirts, long pants and maybe the bodice of dresses just a little. Compare your Bitty Baby waist and torso measurement to those of the AG doll and this will give you a better idea. You can find the AG doll measurements on my Doll Sizing page. Let us know how you get on. Happy sewing Rosie 🙂

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Testimonials

Janet

“I've been sewing for many years, but when I came across Rosie's You Tube video I decided to check out her website. Once I did I signed up for the course, and I'm very happy I did, I'm now more confident sewing these tiny garments and some of these techniques I've incorporated into my normal sewing. Thank you Rosie I now have another way of using up my scrap stash.”

“I've been sewing for many years, but when I came across Rosie's You Tube video I decided to check out her website. Once I did I signed up for the course, and I'm very happy I did, I'm now more confident sewing these tiny garments and some of these techniques I've incorporated into my normal sewing. Thank you Rosie I now have another way of using up my scrap stash.” Janet – Queensland, Australia

https://www.rosiesdollclothespatterns.com/

Ann

“I did this course and loved that I got to sew along with Rosie throughout the videos. I've applied Rosie's techniques to all the doll patterns I've tried, but I love her patterns for how well they fit and how easy they are to complete. Thank you Rosie for changing my retirement into a new chapter in my life. I love making and selling my doll clothing and enjoying being productive again.”

“I did this course and loved that I got to sew along with Rosie throughout the videos. I've applied Rosie's techniques to all the doll patterns I've tried, but I love her patterns for how well they fit and how easy they are to complete. Thank you Rosie for changing my retirement into a new chapter in my life. I love making and selling my doll clothing and enjoying being productive again.” Ann – Massachusetts, USA

https://www.rosiesdollclothespatterns.com/

Margaret

"You are a wonderful teacher and I am really enjoying all your tutorials, excellent... I am only a learner at sewing, I do know the basics but you have taught me so much and I truly appreciate all your time and effort...Thank you so much! Keep up the great work, I never used to like sewing...now I love it thanks to you."

"You are a wonderful teacher and I am really enjoying all your tutorials, excellent... I am only a learner at sewing, I do know the basics but you have taught me so much and I truly appreciate all your time and effort...Thank you so much! Keep up the great work, I never used to like sewing...now I love it thanks to you." Margaret – Western Australia, Australia

https://www.rosiesdollclothespatterns.com/

Marlene

“When I first got Rosie’s videos, I couldn't stop watching! And, her techniques can be used in other sewing and crafting projects, too. Although I plan to teach my young granddaughters to sew oneday, older children can view the videos and get started on their own. Visual learning is great; play and re-play the videos. Thank you, Rosie!”

“When I first got Rosie’s videos, I couldn't stop watching! And, her techniques can be used in other sewing and crafting projects, too. Although I plan to teach my young granddaughters to sew oneday, older children can view the videos and get started on their own. Visual learning is great; play and re-play the videos. Thank you, Rosie!” Marlene – Washington, USA

https://www.rosiesdollclothespatterns.com/

Laurie

“I thought I knew how to sew but I learned a lot from Rosie's How to Make Doll Clothes video course. I now do a lot more flat sewing on other patterns and it makes such a difference. Also, her way of doing elastic is fantastic. I use some other patterns for doll clothes, but I always think about how Rosie would put it together and do it her way. Love Rosie and her great support.”

“I thought I knew how to sew but I learned a lot from Rosie's How to Make Doll Clothes video course. I now do a lot more flat sewing on other patterns and it makes such a difference. Also, her way of doing elastic is fantastic. I use some other patterns for doll clothes, but I always think about how Rosie would put it together and do it her way. Love Rosie and her great support.” Laurie – California, USA